Joe Haden Says Steelers Need to Cut Starting LB

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have a major decision to make regarding middle linebacker Patrick Queen. Entering his third season with the organization, the 26-year-old is set to play in the final year of his current contract and carries a $17.1 million salary cap hit in 2026.

Queen is also coming off of a slightly less productive second season with the Steelers. After totaling 129 tackles with two forced fumbles and seven passes defended in 2024, he regressed to 120 tackles, one forced fumble and just four passes defended.

If the Steelers part ways with Queen before the 2026 season, they could free up as much as $13 million in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap. The potential savings has former Steelers cornerback Joe Haden urging the team to part with Queen. Speaking on the Deebo and Joe podcast, he shared his love for the linebacker, but argued it’s worth it to release him and spend that money on other players.

“Patrick Queen gotta go,” he said. “Love him to death, but that’s a lot of money there and we can use that to get another asset at, maybe, the linebacker position.”

Should Steelers Release Queen?

With needs on both sides of the ball, the Steelers have to be aggressive in free agency. At the same time, they already enter with roughly $45 million of salary cap space, which is the eighth-most in the NFL.

That means the Steelers don’t need the additional $13 million that releasing Queen would grant them, but that doesn’t erase how enticing that option is. With over $58 million in cap space at that point, the Steelers could add a replacement for Queen in addition to a new offensive lineman, defensive back and wide receiver while also saving enough money for a new quarterback or re-signing Aaron Rodgers.

If the first domino to fall is Queen being released, then that makes sense. If the Steelers can parlay moving on from their starting linebacker into addressing multiple positions of need, then it’s a winning situation.